MP Lokayukta Searches Tax Officer’s Properties Across Three Districts, Detects Assets Worth ₹3.78 Crore

The investigation concerns Manish Kumar Jain, an Assistant Commissioner and Commercial Tax Officer posted in Damoh at the time of the searches. Lokayukta Deputy Superintendent of Police Neetu Tripathi said the operation began after allegations that Jain had accumulated assets beyond his known sources of income.

Jain had previously served in Jabalpur for an extended period, Tripathi said. Searches were conducted at his residence in Reliable Developer Colony in Jabalpur and other premises associated with him and his family.

Case Registered Under Prevention of Corruption Act

According to the Lokayukta, Superintendent of Police Anjulata Patle received a complaint alleging that Jain possessed disproportionate assets.

Inspector Brij Mohan Singh Narwaria conducted a preliminary verification, following which the allegations were found to be prima facie substantiated. A case was subsequently registered against Jain under Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.

The investigation has identified properties in Jabalpur, Bhopal and Banda town in Sagar district, including plots and houses registered in the names of Jain and his family members.

Properties Registered in Officer’s Family Members’ Names

Among the properties identified is a 278.74-square-metre plot in Jabalpur, valued at approximately ₹1.43 crore. Investigators also identified a 116.14-square-metre plot registered in the name of Jain’s wife, Nidhi Jain, with an estimated value of ₹95 lakh.

Another plot registered in her name, on which a bungalow has been constructed, was valued at around ₹22.87 lakh.

The investigation also identified a flat in Bhopal and properties in Banda registered in the names of Jain’s parents, Shashi Jain and Komal Chand Jain.

Officials further said that insurance policies taken by Jain and his family members involved an estimated expenditure of ₹33.93 lakh.

Expenditure Found to Exceed Known Income

According to the Lokayukta’s preliminary assessment, Jain’s known income was calculated at approximately ₹1.03 crore, while assets and expenditure amounting to ₹3.78 crore had been identified during the investigation.

The agency said the expenditure was 264.64 per cent disproportionate to his known income.

The searches and investigation were continuing as officials examined the properties, financial records and other material connected with the case.

The allegations remain under investigation, and the final findings will depend on the outcome of the ongoing proceedings.